Review 2057: Brigolante Guest Apartments, Il Focolare

When

June 2005, one week

Location

We found out about Brigolante from the reviews on www.SlowTrav.com, and I urge you to read all of them. I won't be repetitious; I haven't found any of the comments by others to be anything except accurate and right on target. My review will be to include unique aspects of our own experience. We stayed in the apartment named Il Focolare, which has been described and photographed by a few other reviewers. I'll include an outside photo of Brigolante.

The House/Apartment

Rebecca, being from the United States, has brought a concept to Brigolante that I have not seen elsewhere, window screens!!! Thank you, Rebecca! How wonderful it was to keep the windows open and the bugs out. Mosquitoes love me, but I don't love them; they leave large welts when they bite.

Garden

You have already read from others that Brigolante is indeed a working farm. Her in-laws work very hard tending to farm animals and crops. Now, as a result, the air is replete (more so on some days than others) with farm aromas. The day we arrived was rather warm, we were using the car's air conditioner for comfort. After driving miles past Brigolante, up the mountainside of Mt. Subasio, we doubled back and found our lodging. We turned off the car, jumped out and, wham! Knew at once we were on a farm. Being a city girl, I thought, "Oh my!" :-) The good news is the wind blows different directions, the cows aren't always up close, you get used to it, and/or it just doesn't smell that farmy all the time. Beginning on day two, it was not a problem.

Furnishings/Cleanliness/Living Areas

This place is clean as a whistle. (Now that is a strange expression.) In Il Focolare, the couch is more of a loveseat, and I am a big couch potato, who loves to read stretched out. I would've paid extra for a real sofa-length sofa. Other than that, the furniture was extremely comfortable in every way.

Bedrooms/Bathrooms

Bedroom and bathroom were terrific.

Problems or Bonuses

Rebecca is just such a neat person. Funny, intelligent, quippy, happy, helpful. You just want to be best friends with her. :-)

We woke up one morning to find the flattest tire you have ever seen on our rental car. She made phone calls on our behalf to a tire store to get it fixed and to the car rental agency and did battle on our behalf. When they told her they would have to see if the damage was accidental before deciding how to deal with it, she gave them an Italian piece of her mind (something like..."Give me a break!! What do you think they did? Went after their own tire with a steak knife!!! Of course it was an accident!!!"), making our case very clear. You go, girl! Thanks, Rebecca. Everything turned out just hunky-dory.

The homemade treats she brings throughout the week are really special: the wine, the liqueurs, the bread and pasta, the pesto sauce, the eggs, the veggies. Her two children and dog are cute and sweet and fun to have around. However, let me say, the family really gives you privacy; they have a knack for being there when you need/want them, and not there otherwise.

Do you recommend this vacation rental to others?

We thought this was a great location, and well worth the price. To get a feeling for Rebecca's wonderful sense of humor, read her restaurant reviews on www.slowtrav.com.

We hope to stay there again in the future!

This review is the opinion of a Slow Travel member and not of slowtrav.com.